Harness-coupling



(No Model.)

J. P. MAW.

i HARNESS COUPLING.

No. 392,681. Patented Nov. 13, 188B.

-nun- UNirnn STATES JOHN PARKER MAW, OF WESTMORELAND, NEW YORK.

HARNESS-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,681, dated November 13, 1888 Application filed August 27, 1888.

To aZZ whom, it may concern;

Be it known that 1, JOHN PARKER llIAW, of Vestmoreland, in the county of Oneida, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Harness-Couplings, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relatesto improvements in harness-couplings, and has for its object the production of a simple and effective device which maybe readily applied to the usual parts of the harness and readily attached to the free ends of the thills, thus obviating several parts of the harness now necessary, and expediting the harnessing of a horse or other animal; and to this end myinvention consists, essentially, in a socket or jaw adapted to readily receive the free ends of the thills and securely retain the same without danger of escapement, and provided with loops, buckles, or other suitable means of attachment to the harness.

It consists, furthermore, in the detail, construction, and arrangement of the parts, all as hereinafter more fully described, and specific ally pointed out in the claims.

In specifying my invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which, like letters indicating corresponding parts in all the views, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved coupling attached to the various parts of the harness and with the thill in position therein. Fig. 2 is a side view of the detached end of the thill provided with lugs or shoulders :for engaging the socket-jaw. Fig. is a section of my improved coupling in its operative position, taken on line a: at Fig. 1; and Fig. at is a section of my improved coupling, taken on line y y, Fig. 3, clearly illuscrating the construction and arrangement of the locking device.

A represents the frame of my coupling,which consists of the front plate, .13, and the back plate, 0, which I prefer to form or cast separately for the more ready assembling of the parts, and separate the same the desired distance to allow of the operation of the parts by means of lugs or studs a, cast on one of the frames, and through which rivets Z) I) pass, which hold the plates together.

Serial No. 253,859. (No model.)

The back plate, O, is preferably provided with loops, buckles, or other suitable means for attaching the coupling to the usual parts of the harness, as the tugs S, saddle S, bellyband T, and bretching It, and is preferably provided on its side adjacent to thehorse with a covering of leather or other material for preventing undue galling.

The front plate, B, is provided or formed on its front face with the socketjaw l), of the form best indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, consisting of the laterally-extending base (I and the upright extension cl, provided in its upper extremity with an eye, 0. On the back of the front plate, B, I hinge a pair of locking-dogs, h h, as shown in Fig. 4, pivoted near their cen ter and with their upper ends adapted to come together in the center of the upper part of the front plate, and provided with inclines ff and the small ratchet-shaped points 9 g. The pivoted dogs h h are normally held with their ratchet-shaped points g g in contact by means of the springsjj, secured in any desirable manner to the frame. For the purpose of easily operating the jaws, I provide the pivoted thumb-levers 7.; is, pivoted on the center of the front plate near its lower extremity,and also pivoted to the free ends of the dogs h h at the points k'J-J', and provided at their lower extremities with suitable thumb-pieces, 7.1", which protrude beyond the front plate for their easy operation. It will be observed that in order to enable the thumb-levers 7c 71? to work it becomes necessary to provide the slot Z for the pivot to slide in as the lower ends of the dogs h h operate, and the pivot m is preferably provided with heads m for securely retaining the parts in their position.

Pivoted in the eye (1 of the upper extremity, d, of the socket D, I provide the swinging top bar, G, the end of which is preferably formed, as illustrated in Fig. 4, for the pur-' which is provided with lugs P, separated sufficiently far to abut against opposite sides of the lateral base d of the socket D, and which, by engaging with the socket, transmits the motion of the horse to the thill, and which are prevented from becoming disengaged by means of the top bar, G.

For the purpose of preventing undue rattling of the parts, itbecomes necessary to provide the interior of the socket with the lining of rubber,t,or other suitable material, for preventing vibration.

My invention is very simple in construction and effective in operation, and greatly facilitates the harnessing of animals for the reason that the coupling is always in position on the harness, and when the pivoted top bar, G, has been swung over out of its normal position the thills maybe readilyinserted, and the only operation necessary being the swinging over of the pivoted barG into its normal position and the automatic locking of the same by the pivoted dogs h h. It will also be observed that by reason of the' coupling being attached directly to the thills the long tugs and the whiffletreespreviously used are now dispensed with, thus greatly cheapening and simplifying a harness. I do not, however. restrict myself to the precise construction of the parts as herein shown, since it is very evident that they may be greatly changed without departing from the spirit of my invention, which is the production of a simple device which shall attach the thills directly to the harness.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

, 1. A harness-coupling having loops for the attachment of the same to the lugs, saddle,

2. In a thill-coupling, the combination of a receiving-socket, and a retaining pivoted bar, G, the free end of which is pointed at its lower extremity,with a pivoted spring-actuated dog held normally over the said end of the bar G, a cam orincline, f, on said dog, and the retaining-point g, substantially as, and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a harness-coupling, the combination, with the socket or jaws d, shoulders or lugs P, with the cross-bar G, pivoted dogs h h, springs j j, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

' 4:. In a harness-coupling. the combination of the socket D, shoulders or lugs P, with the pivoted cross-bar G, locking-dogs h h, springs jj, and thumb-levers k k, pivoted to the locking-dogs h h, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a harness-coupling, the combination, with asocket, D, and a thill, H, provided with shoulders or lugs P, of the cushion-packing 15,-

substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony WhereofI have hereunto signed my name, in the presence of two attesting witnesses, at Westmoreland, in the county of Oneida, in the State of New York.

JOHN PARKER MAW.

Vitnesses:

H. M. ROBERTSON, F. W. BREWSTER. 

